This is one of those rare books that had me completely hooked and devoted within the first 15 pages of starting it. I began reading this at a recommendation from someone who knows me pretty well and said 'I think you'll really like it' and they could not have been any more correct. I love how intelligently this story is written. It's my favorite point of view and sometimes slightly includes others' feelings and thoughts as well and that kind of storytelling just really makes me happy. The lore and in depth history of the world is just enchanting all in its own rights. This book had me wanting to live in Innail and learn the Speech within a day, and now I kind of don't know how I never found this series before. I adore the main characters and their dynamics, and I love the progression of the storyline and its flow - it's just written in that perfect blend of action, description, and development that so many fantasy novels seem to have trouble getting down. I am immersed into this universe and can't wait to read the next book. This is one of the first true fantasy books i ever read and certainly the first by an author who could call Australia home. There is just so much to love about this book. It was the first one i ever read that kept me awake until the early hours that wasn't Harry Potter and it was probably the first book that i ever felt compelled by the plight of the characters. Actually finding the time to re-read this has taken me back to the basics of fantasy when things weren't all about sex and romance for me. As the book progresses the characters grow and develop naturally and you often feel as though you are right there watching it all unfold. I do wish i could get a look inside Cadvan's head occasionally because sometimes Maerad can come a cross a little childish but the books and the novel unfold at a steady pace and are gradually building toward something managing not to make me bored along the way.I'll be moving right along to the sequel after this.
The inside cover leads me to believe this is her first novel---the novel itself shows no sign of that. The cover also says she is a poet, and that is much more readily apparent in the loving descriptions of everything from the mundane cruelties of travel to the wonder of new worlds opening up. At bits I thought the pacing was a bit rough, and I thought she jumped too quickly from one scene to another, and one of the subplots I guessed before it even showed up, but overall the story was very good. It does, however, leave off right in the middle of all the adventure, so read with the sequel handy. Recommended.
—Mariby
The debut novel of this series - and the first I've read by this author - is spectacular. Written in the tradition of Tolkien, The Naming treats itself not as fiction, but rather as a forgotten manuscript detailing the history of a long-disappeared civilization. The characters are complex and believable and the descriptive language Croggon uses allow the reader to feel as if they breathe the very air of Edil-Amarandah. I rate very few books as 5 stars, but this one is definitely worth the time spent poring through the nearly 500 pages. I can't wait to read the next book in the Pellinor series!
—ElJay
it is the most interesting book I ever read. I really recommend that you read it.
—alovd
The writing was a little too flowery for my taste...but it was good nonetheless.
—nancy
